Homeopathy Education: Taste the sweet pill of success

As a child, Dr PK Rajesh, medical officer, Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi), used to be fascinated with the sweet pills that were administered by homeopaths.“It was homeopathy which cured me every time I fell ill. Though my grandfather Ramankutty Vaidyar was a well known Ayurveda physician in Kerala, the sweet pills left a deep impression on my mind. Since my home was close to one of Asia’s best homeopathic colleges namely, Government Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Calicut (GHMC) and I managed to clear the Kerala Government Medical Entrance Exam, I decided to study for a medical degree in homeopathy,” he says.

After completing his studies, Rajesh started his career as a private medical practitioner in his village, Madavoor. “On an average, I used to attend 30 patients in a day and charge a fee of Rs. 20 each.The turning point in my career came when the villagers brought a man with burn injuries to my clinic. He had scalded himself with hot oil while cooking for a marriage feast and was in excruciating pain. Since the nearest hospital was 15km away, the villagers asked me to give him some first aid. I gave him sweet pills medicated with cantharis and also applied cantharis ointment all over the burn injuries. To the astonishment of the villagers, the man calmed down within 15 minutes and was relieved of his pain within an hour. The word spread like fire that a homeopathy can handle emergencies, and since then I have never looked back,” says Rajesh.

He takes pains to explain that “It is a myth that homeopathic medicines don’t work in acute emergencies. Due to this, people are hesitant to visit a ­homeopathy doctor. Actually, it all depends on case to case.”

Rajesh believes that a logical thinking person who is desirous of serving his fellow human beings can make a mark in this profession. “There is no dearth of opportunities, both in the private and government sector. There is immense scope for private practitioners, especially in places like Kerela and Kolkata as homeopathy practice has developed in these places,” he says.

There are several factors that can be attributed to the growing homeopathy market in India. “Homeopathy is a highly scientific, logical, safe, quick and extremely effective method of healing. It offers long lasting to permanent cures, treating the disease from its roots, for most of the ailments. Homeopathy does not treat superficially by just driving away the symptoms but heals the patient from within. The treatment is aimed to heal the person as a whole,” says Rajesh.

Though being a homeopath was not Rajesh’s first choice, he has no regrets of opting this profession. “Homeopathy as a career has never let me down, both financially and professionally. From being a private practitioner in an unknown village in Kerala to being appointed as a medical officer in India’s most premier technical institute, Rajesh attributes his success to hard work and says there are no shortcuts to success. “If your sole intention is to make money, this is not the profession for you,” he cautions.

All you need to know about a career as a homeopathic doctor

Lowdown
Homeopathy is a vital philosophy which interprets that diseases are caused by disturbances in life force. Homeopathy maintains that the vital force can derange and adapt to internal and external causes that homeopaths refer to as the ‘law of similia’ which implies that a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in sick people. However, the father of this system, Samuel Hahnemann, rejected the notion of a disease as a separate thing and insisted that it was always part of the ‘living whole’. He integrated the principles found in the writings of ancient philosophers into a holistic system called homeopathy

Eligibility
You must take up physics, chemistry and biology in Class 12, then do a bachelor of homeopathic medicine and surgery which includes a year’s compulsory internship. Then you can go for post-graduation, a three year course

Skills and traits
* You must be a good listener, able to gauge psychological as well as physical problems to make diagnosis easy
* Observation skills and untiring zeal to restore the sick to health

Options galore
An aspirant has various options like teaching, private practice, research, working as a medical officer etc

Rupees I take home
Rs. 6 lakh Rs. 18 lakh P.A

I love my job because…
It gives immense satisfaction when a sick person is cured

Expert gyan
Hard work, observation skills and a practical sense to apply the laws of homeopathy will help you perform miracles in healing